Legend of the White Rose
by PrincessofBadLuck
Summary: Sleeping Beauty, Yuffentine style! When Yuffie finds a mysterious man in the woods, she knows she shouldn't fall in love with him...But the heart doesn't always listen.
1. Tester Chapter: The Party

"Alright, Aerith said happily, today is Vincent's 21st birthday so we need to make it special!"

Cait Sith nodded, "Agreed lassie, especially since the poor boy's going to have to take the throne of Midgar!"

The gentle fairy nodded sadly, "Yes, and marry the Princess of Wutai, whom he's never even met."

Nanaki joined in the conversation, "It is, unfortunately, one of the burdens that come with royalty, duty and devotion toward their people and kingdoms first."

The brunette sighed at looked at her fellow fairy and the remote control cat, which her good friend in Midgar controlled. The three of them had cared for Vincent the day he was placed in their care after the threats were made toward his life. So, at infancy, the boy was taken from his home in the castle of Midgar, and whisked away to the forests of Wutai. The farther from his homeland, the better as far as his father and temporary guardians were concerned, for there was an evil sorcerer who wished to harm the young prince. No, more than harm. He wished to kill the prince and seize the throne of Midgar. As Vincent was King Grimore's only son, he could not bear to let the evil sorcerer get his hands on him.

So, in the dead of night the day the king heard the evil sorcerer's plans, he contacted some friends of his, who then took Vincent under their care. Those friends were, the Three Good Fairies. These fairies (though one was just a robotic cat) were, Cait Sith, Aerith, and Nanaki. They were known throughout the land for aiding people and helping make wishes come true. In fact, it was they who would eventually save Vincent from the horrible fate the sorcerer had in mind for him.

The sorcerer was named Hojo and he was a truly disturbed man. Not only did he want the throne of Midgar to himself, but he also wanted to use the little prince for his horrid human experiments. For some reason, he felt the prince was the perfect vessel for a demon of legend. According to his mad ramblings, once he killed the prince he'd be able to transform his body into one that would be able to contain Chaos, the demon that had terrorized Gaia long ago. That was before the Cetra (of whom Aerith was the last of the race) sealed him within the confines of a crystal cavern. All this, Hojo said, he would do once Vincent reached his 21st birthday.

However, the fairies weren't giving up without a fight. When Hojo had interrupted the prince's birthday ceremony, they had expected it and came prepared. He may have said one day Vincent would die by his hand and be turned into a tool to hold a demon under his command, but the fairies helped to alleviate the threat a bit. Though Hojo's promise held great magic which even all of them together couldn't help dispel, they could thwart his plans in some ways. Aerith for one, instead of coming to give the blessing she had wanted to give initially (it'd been good looks) she gave her original gift and a safeguard against Hojo's evil malediction. She promised that should Hojo try to kill Vincent, all he'd be able to do is make him fall into a deep sleep in which no one could reach him, or harm him, and he could only be awakened by love's first kiss. Nanaki, gave Vincent the gift of time, (in addition to his original gift which was sharp-shooting skills) he vowed that try as Hojo might, he would not be able to harm Vincent or interfere with his life until his 21st birthday. Finally, Cait Sith, though he had no real powers of his own, gave Vincent the gift of friendship. Reeve, the man who controlled Cait was also very close to Grimore, and therefore promised his friend that he'd watch over his son and keep him company. He also gave Vincent Cerberus, as he and Nanaki and come up with gift ideas together.

Aerith snapped out of her memories of the past. She'd seen Vincent grown into a fine young man over the years (she was glad at times she didn't age, so she could see all the people she'd helped grow up). She knew that soon he'd have to face Hojo and the trials ahead, and while she was confident that everything would work out in the end, she was still worried. After today, she and the others would tell Vincent the truth about his upbringing. That he was a prince destined for an arranged marriage to the Princess of Wutai. It was a marriage that, unfortunately was necessary to protect the kingdom of Midgar from its power hungry neighbor to the north, Shinra. If the alliance hadn't been formed with the Emperor of Wutai, then the small kingdom of Midgar would have been conquered long ago.

"Ok, Aerith went over a check-list she'd made of things they'd need for Vincent's surprise party, so we've got the decorations, now all we need to do is make his gift and bake his cake!" Nanaki winced a bit, he hoped the kind Cetra would use magic now to bake the cake; they'd all gone without magic while raising Vincent to give him as normal a life as possible but… Aerith was not a good baker. Cait voiced his disapproval more vocally than his red companion, "Aiii are you crazy lass? Last time you baked you near burnt down the cottage!"

**IMPORTANT **

Ok everyone listen up. This is a tester chapter of a story I'm debating about starting. I actually wrote a short first chapter already and I think it's really cute. But, I want to know what you think. I know I've been getting quite a few people who have added my one-shots to their favorites, and I'm so happy about that, and the people that gave me reviews? Omg you guys are awesome! *Hugs* I don't think I really want to start a story if I'm not going to finish, and if I don't get at least a review or two, I'll be disheartened enough not to write anymore. At least not anything that I can't finish in one sitting. That's why I love one-shots! =]

So let me know if you want to see more of this story.


	2. Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. Her name, was Yuffie Kisaragi. But she wasn't your ordinary princess, she was a ninja. Not just any ninja either, she was THE Great Ninja Yuffie! The White Rose of Wutai!

Another odd trait of Yuffie's was that she liked to steal. She wasn't a klepto mind you; she just got bored from time to time (one can only take so much of etiquette lessons) and what better way to blow off steam than steal from the rich, pompous jerks who visited her dad?

One day while she was wandering around the forests of Wutai looking for some sap to rob, she heard a gun shot. Startled, she looked toward the sound; no one in Wutai used guns. She crept silently toward the direction the sound came from. It was in a clearing in the woods that she found its source.

She found a handsome young man cleaning his gun. All around the clearing a sort of shooting range was set up. Targets stuffed with straw were propped against trees and rocks. From what she could see he was a good shot, every target around her was pierced dead center. She was impressed by this stranger's abilities and crept closer. Yuffie studied the young man curiously, she'd never seen him around Wutai before. He looked kind of…sad.

Putting down his gun he began to take up a waltzing position with an imaginary partner. She watched him with interest as he twirled and dipped his "partner". The waltz was always her favorite dance, and during one of the best twirls she couldn't help herself. Stepping out from hiding, she clasped his hand gently and twirled gracefully into him. The man's eyes widened slightly, but otherwise, he acted like the perfect gentleman. The two separated and stepped back to bow and curtsy to each other respectively. Then they began to dance in earnest.

He's so handsome, Yuffie thought as she gazed into his ruby eyes. But it's not just his looks, he's funny and kind too, who else would dance with air then humor a random girl with a dance? She lost herself in the bliss of the dance.

This girl, Vincent thought, it's like she's a dream. What's a pretty girl like her doing in the woods? And why is she dancing with me? I'm no prince or gallant knight…

They danced for hours before they finally stopped to rest. Each found they didn't have much in common (he liked guns, she preferred her shuriken or hand to hand combat) but instead of competing against each other, their differences complemented each other. He was a bit of a loner, because he just lived with his aunt and her pets. She was a social butterfly. They hit it off so well that soon they only noticed how late it was when the sun began to set.

"Oh shoot!" Yuffie said, "I'm going to be late, my dad's gonna kill me!"

She got up quickly and was about to run off before Vincent stopped her.

"Wait, at least tell me your name," he begged.

Yuffie stopped, "It's Yuffie."

He nodded taking her hand,

"Yuffie do you think I'll be able to see you again?"

She hesitated, she knew as a princess her father wanted her to marry royalty, or at the very least a noble. But she didn't want to. She knew in her heart that her dad just wanted her to have a husband that would be able to support her. A part of her wanted to follow her heart and love who she chose (this strange gunman in the forest seemed a likely candidate).

In the end, she chose her heart over what her mind was telling her was a bad idea.

"Yes, here again tonight if you'd like um…?"

She paused realizing she didn't know his name. He smiled at her,

"Tonight is fine, then started to walk away, and my name is Vincent."

Vincent, she thought as she sped through the forests with a smile, I'll be back tonight. Yuffie ran with urgency, her father was holding a huge welcome ceremony for the King of Midgar. As she wound through the thick woods she couldn't help feeling a tinge of annoyance, had she really been straying that far into the forest? If she didn't make it back in time she was a goner. Apparently, there were also going to be some serious diplomacy meetings as well. Her father Lord Godo would kill her if she wasn't present and polite to the visiting king. Not that she wouldn't be, she'd always liked King Grimore, he was gentle and kind. It didn't hurt that once he knew about her fondness for materia, he brought her some each time her visited. The good stuff too.

Panting, Yuffie made it to her father's pagoda just before Chekov was about to knock on her door.

"Miss Yuffie, it's time for you to get ready."

Even Chekov who had been her governess and mentor for many years was acting stiff and formal, Yuffie thought, whatever King Grimore is here for must be big. She steadied her breathing,

"Yes, I know, come in."

Chekov entered the room, took one look at her and said,

"Yuffie, what have you been up to?"

The girl in question waved her hands,

"No-nothing! Why would you say that?"

Chekov sighed, "Well, I suppose if you won't tell me, there's nothing I can do about it."

She'd learned long ago that if Yuffie didn't want to talk about something, nothing would make her. She grabbed a brush to start fixing Yuffie's hair, which at the moment had some leaves and twigs in it from her mad dash home.

"Just make sure you're on your best behavior tonight."

Vincent walked home to the cottage he shared with his aunt and her "pets." He'd called them pets for lack of a better term, because while they were animals, they could talk. Nanaki was actually a very comforting (person, being?) to be around when his aunt would start gushing about girl stuff. He shuddered when he thought about some of her questions he'd been asked growing up, "Does this make my butt look big?" Thankfully, those were just some of her ramblings directed at no one in particular, so he was usually able to hold an intelligent conversation with the red cat. When that wasn't the case however, Cait Sith was the one to save the day. "Lassie, the robot would reply exasperated, why are ye asking a bunch of men? Besides we all know that whatever answer we give will land us in deep water!" This in turn would stop Aerith's questioning and start a round of laughter among the motley family. Vincent lived happily with his odd family, but lately he'd been feeling distant and a bit lonely despite his company. Today, when he met Yuffie, he felt happier than he'd been in a long time.

He walked into his home with a slight grin, and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Surprise!" his aunt and her pets exclaimed as they jumped out of hiding in the darkened room. Relaxing his grip on Cerberus he let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you everyone, it certainly was a surprise."

Cait grinned, "I'll say! Your eyes nearly popped out of their sockets."

He rolled his eyes and the grin he'd had earlier slipped off his face, but not before his observant aunt noticed it. Deciding to question him later about it she proceeded to usher him to the dinner they'd made. Vincent couldn't help a small chuckle that escaped from his lips, the room despite all the cheery decorations was a mess. A product of Aerith's baking no doubt.

NOTE

And that was the first chapter! How'd you guys like it? Also thanks so much to **les yeux sans visage, moonstarlight, and Azure Sora** for reviews on the tester chapter! You guys rock! Also, I'm thinking of maybe giving some of the characters side-stories ex. like how Tifa came to become Yuffie's trainer or Cloud's adventures as a messenger for Wutai and also the role they played outside the main story. Maybe even how they all interact together before the events of the story take place. I'm not sure yet, what do you guys think? Leave a review and let me know! :D

Oh and here is a list of characters that will be in the story so far:

Yuffie- Princess of Wutai

Vincent- Prince of Midgar

Grimore-King of Midgar

Tifa-Master martial artist and Yuffie's trainer

Cloud-court messenger for Wutai

Aerith-Fairy 1

Nanaki-Fairy 2

Cait Sith-Fairy 3

Hojo-evil sorcerer

Lucrecia-consort of Hojo and back stabbing advisor to King Grimore (can you tell I don't like her? lol)

Reeve-friend of Grimore who watches over Vincent

Rufus-Prince of Shinra

Tseng, Reno, Rude and Elena-Turks


	3. Chapter 2: Betrothed

After all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the king's welcome, and after the huge banquet, finally the diplomatic meeting could start. Yuffie was practically twitching with impatience but didn't show it. After all, Wutai ladies were supposed to be poised and proper, she thought annoyed, like delicate porcelain that would shatter if handled too roughly. Pfft she thought to herself, there's no way in Gaia I'd ever be like that. I may be a princess but on my honor as a ninja I will never be defenseless.

Her father started to call the meeting to order,

"We gather here today to discuss and announce some joyous news!"

Yuffie's interest was piqued; her father had never told her the subject of the day's meeting. He always made sure she was fully informed, but with the events that took place today, she hadn't noticed his reticence on the matter.

"As you know, Lord Godo continued, King Grimore and I have been good friends and close allies for many years."

He cleared his throat, and for the first time in many years looked nervous. Glancing briefly at Yuffie he finished,

"Therefore, as was decided years ago, we will join our kingdoms as one in holy matrimony!"

"What?" Vincent asked dumbfounded.

Aerith and the others had just told him the truth about his lineage.

"It's true, the gentle fairy said softly, you are Prince Vincent of Midgar."

Nanaki nodded solemnly, "Tonight, you will meet your father at the Royal Pagoda. Tomorrow, you shall be wed to the Princess of Wutai."

His eyes widened, "I'm to be wed?" he gasped, startled.

Cait nodded sadly, and for once all humor was gone from his voice,

"You've been betrothed since birth, all for the good of both your kingdoms. If it weren't for this union, the power-hungry kingdom of Shinra would have destroyed Midgar and Wutai."

Vincent stood abruptly, "But a marriage? Why couldn't they simply form an alliance?"

Aerith shook her head,

"Both your father and Lord Godo had tried before, but Shinra would have taken it as a declaration of war."

She sighed,

"A marriage was the only way to show Shinra that both kingdoms would fight together without actually provoking a war."

Vincent's head dropped,

"But, I was supposed to meet her tonight, she's the girl I wanted to marry."

Suddenly Aerith knew the reason behind Vincent's sudden happiness this afternoon. She could tell from his voice that he loved this girl and she felt her heart grow heavy with sorrow. Aerith didn't want to deliver Vincent to his father and a loveless marriage. But it was not her place to decide, and she and her partners had promised the king they would. She knew without looking at them, that they felt the same. Still, mustering the strength to fulfill their duty, Nanaki spoke for all of them,

"I'm sorry Vincent, but you can never see that girl again."

Vincent turned to face him, grief etched all over his features,

"I can't even say goodbye? I'm going to give my life and happiness to a kingdom I've never known and I can't see her one last time?"

His expression hardened,

"No I don't care I will see her this last time."

He made to move to the door when several spells hit him. He stood immobilized and silenced before the door. Aerith dropped her hand and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Vincent," she said.

As she and her companions led Vincent back to Wutai to sneak him into the pagoda, their tears blurred their vision. They never saw the white swish of a lab coat or the long brown hair disappear into the darkness of the night.

Yuffie ran through the forests of Wutai tears stinging her eyes. The memory of the council meeting was still searing and seemed to rip her heart in two. Love, duty, honor, they all seemed to jumble themselves in her mind. An arranged marriage, her love in the forests. The fate of two kingdoms. Whatever opinion she chose meant sacrifice. Though, as she ran toward the meadow she found earlier, she knew in her heart the choice she'd make. She was a princess. Her duty was to her people. She loved her freedom, but when the cost of it meant breaking the bonds of marriage and leaving Wutai and Midgar to be destroyed by Shinra…well, that was just too high a price to pay. There was something she loved even more than her freedom. It was her country and her people. Yuffie couldn't bear to see them go to war with the empire that was Shinra.

Still, it didn't make the sense of loss leave her heart.

Vincent, she thought sadly, I wish we'd had more time together.

As she continued on, she steeled herself, for she knew this would be the last time she'd be able to see him.

She smiled in the darkness as she saw the Three Good Fairies usher a figure out of the cottage. The magic cast seconds before and everything she'd heard confirmed her suspicions. She'd found him. Pulling out her cell phone she dialed a number. She didn't wait long; he'd been expecting her call.

"Well, the voice wheezed, what have you found?"

The brunette laughed lightly,

"None other than the little prince all grown up."

Her caller was pleased,

"Excellent, I knew I could count on you, did you discover anything else of interest?"

The woman grinned wickedly,

"Yes, it appears he's fallen in love with his betrothed, though he doesn't know it yet."

She scoffed, "She's coming here tonight, but she just missed him."

Cackling answered her response,

"How amusing, do capture her, we wouldn't want her to find him and waken him from his eternal sleep."

The voice continued,

"You've done well Lucrecia, report to me after you've secured the girl."

"Yes Hojo," she answered.

Shutting the phone, Lucrecia signaled to the trees behind her. Soldiers and dogs in blue veined uniforms stepped forward. Deepground may have been useless searching for the prince, but they'd proved their worth in battle.

_So what do you guys think? I know immobilize isn't a spell in FFVII but I've never played it, *gasp* I know. I have however, played other FF's and I know FFXII has immobilize which seemed like a good spell to use in the story. Sorry for the delay! I've been enjoying my summer vacation and have been lounging around at home haha. Reviews please? _


	4. Chapter 3: Fate

Yuffie stopped in the meadow she'd met Vincent in earlier that day. Slowing her breathing, she looked around for a sign of the gunman. She only realized their presence a moment before she was pinned to the ground. Struggling fiercely, the ninja managed to knock a few of the soldiers off of her. But she was outnumbered. She didn't even have a chance to draw her shuriken before she was forced to her knees by the strange men.

"So, you must be Princess Yuffie," a voice said from the shadows.

The speaker stepped out from the cover of the surrounding trees. Yuffie was surprised; she hadn't expected her captor to be a young woman.

"Yeah, and what if I am?" she spat.

The woman laughed a bit, "Well, then I'll just have to make sure you don't reach Vincent."

Yuffie gasped, "Wait, what have you done to him? Who are you?"

She grinned wickedly, "Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself, especially in the presence of royalty," she swept into a curtsey mockingly, " Lucrecia servant of Hojo."

No way, Yuffie thought, Hojo? The evil sorcerer known throughout Gaia?

She struggled with her next words, "But, what does Vincent have to do with this?"

Lucrecia merely gave her a condescending smile, "Don't worry, all will be explained in due time, once you are made more comfortable."

Shackles were locked around Yuffie's wrists.

"Take her to the boat," Lucrecia ordered, "We set sail for Nieblhiem first thing tomorrow morning."

The Three Good Fairies tried to comfort Vincent in the room that was prepared for him in secret by Lord Godo. It did little good.

He looked resignedly at them, "Please, just leave me be," he sighed sadly.

His guardians looked at him pityingly before they took their leave, their hearts heavy with regret. Aerith looked back at him one last time before she closed his door, Oh Vincent, she thought unhappily, I wish this didn't have to happen.

Vincent gazed at his reflection as he got ready for bed, Tomorrow he thought, I'll meet my father as... a prince. He tried to imagine himself in the crown the fairies had given him and walking with the Princess of Wutai, toward his father and soon to be father in law. But he couldn't. Whenever he tried to imagine the grand entrance he'd make with the princess like his guardians described, all he could see was the meadow in the forests of Wutai. When he tried to imagine the princess's face he saw Yuffie smiling and dancing in his arms. It was unbearable.

In his misery, he didn't notice the materialization of another in his room. Black flames surrounded the figure announcing his appearance. Vincent could only turn before the figure hit him with several spells. Silence and immobilize again, Vincent thought wryly, why is this a reoccurring trend? Maybe a should wear a ribbon from now on.

He watched as the man cast several more spells directed toward the door. When he was done, he turned to Vincent with a sneer on his face.

"Those fools, they thought that a child's game of hide and seek would keep you safe? I am the great sorcerer Hojo, Lord of all evil! Nothing escapes me!"

Though Vincent was still immobilized he managed to narrow his eyes questioningly.

"Ahh, that's right," Hojo said, those Three Good Fools didn't tell you about me did they?"

He laughed, "They thought you'd be safe from me and that all you'd have to worry about was a loveless arranged marriage."

Turning to face Vincent he sighed, "Of course I can't kill you and use you to awaken Chaos; those fools got that much of their protections right."

"But, I can make you fall into a deep sleep only to be awakened by, what was it?" He tapped his fingers against his chin, "Oh right," he cackled, "love's first kiss!"

"It's too bad the princess is indisposed at the moment." He looked at the confusion swirling in Vincent's eyes.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it? Well I'll let you in on a little secret, that girl in the woods you fell in love with?" he scoffed, "Was none other than your betrothed, Princess Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai."

He ignored the shock on Vincent's face, "Isn't it tragic? Your betrothed was actually your true _love_," he spat the word, "and now that I have her imprisoned you will never awaken."

Aerith sighed as she sat next to her companions in the room they shared together.

"I wish we didn't have to do this to him," she said sadly.

Nanaki nodded, "I agree Aerith, but we all know that without this union with Wutai both it and Midgar will fall."

She folded her hands in her lap, "I know it's just-" she looked up suddenly, "Hojo, he's here!"

All three of them cursed themselves for not noticing his aura sooner as they rushed out of their room to Vincent's. By the time they broke down the barriers Hojo cast on the door, it was too late. Vincent laid on the floor in a death-like sleep near the evil sorcerer.

Chained and shackled in a cabin aboard her captor's boat, Yuffie had never felt more helpless. Lucrecia sat in front of her waiting for her to stop struggling before she started to speak.

"Let me tell you a story," she said mockingly, in a voice that was sickly sweet, "Once upon a time there was a young prince born to the king and queen of Midgar. The royal couple were overjoyed at the birth of their first child."

She sighed dramatically, "But alas, their joy would not last, for the boy had something the evil sorcerer Hojo wanted. He wanted to kill and use the prince for an experiment to resurrect the demon of legend, Chaos."

Lucrecia scoffed, "In vain the Three Good Fairies tried to save him from this fate, with their pitiful protections. All they managed to do, was buy time for the prince before Hojo could find him and it was not death that he could bring to the prince, only death-like sleep. So for many years they hid the prince and raised him as their own, in a cottage in the remote forests of Wutai."

Yuffie's eyes widened, could it be that Vincent was... a prince?

Lucrecia noted the understanding that illuminated the princess's features, "Yes, the man you fell in love with was none other than Prince Vincent Valentine of Midgar."

She stood up and cast a spell. Suddenly, it was not the cabin in the ship that Yuffie saw, but a room in the royal pagoda. Even Lucrecia was not among the surroundings, but Yuffie still heard her voice.

"It is here that the prince will rest, along with everyone else in the kingdom of Wutai, for the Three Good Fairies have put all to sleep just as the prince."

Yuffie saw Vincent laying on a bed and even though she knew he was only asleep, her heart clenched. The images of her father and King Grimore, as well as the rest of her court flashed before her eyes.

As the images faded Lucrecia continued, "He will sleep awaiting true love's first kiss to break the spell."

She cackled, "And our story comes to an end, for his princess will never reach him or see him again."

At this Yuffie struggled against her chains, wanting to cry out but unable to do so, being gagged.

Lucrecia walked out the door with a laugh, "I guess true love doesn't always win."

**A/N**

**I hate to end it on a depressing note, but don't worry things will get better! Sigh, this was so hard to write, I'm seriously suffering from writer's block. Don't get me wrong, I want to finish this story and I will but... I just feel so uninspired. I hope you guys liked this chapter, because I just didn't feel my creative juices flowing when I wrote this. So I'm sorry if it didn't have the appeal of my previous chapters. Anyway, thanks so much for reading! I should have about two chapters left and then this story is done! It's been fun writing this and my reviewers have really been the ones that have helped me keep writing the story and not dropping it like I'm always tempted to do and start something else. (Which I usually don't end up finishing either. xD) So thanks a lot guys! **


	5. Chapter 4: Wake Up

Aerith sighed tiredly, they were done. Putting a whole kingdom to sleep was exhausting, but what else could they do? Go tell King Grimore that despite everything they had done, Vincent still fell victim to Hojo? Not to mention telling Lord Godo that his future son in law wasn't going to wake up. Then there was the whole kingdom anticipating a royal wedding the next day! She dropped to the floor in despair; what were she and her companions going to do? Putting everyone to sleep until the prince woke wasn't going to solve anything. If they didn't find his true love, the whole kingdom would sleep forever. She covered her face with her hands in frustration, how would she find that mystery girl Vincent was talking about? Guiltily, she thought about how she didn't even let Vincent talk about the girl. Now they had to try and find her, with almost nothing to go by. They didn't even know her name!

Nanaki entered the room, "Aerith," he said, "there's someone here I think we should talk to." The brunette looked up to at her friend's voice. There beside him was a young woman in her twenties with dark brown hair and gentle brown eyes. Even though she was beautiful, Aerith could see by the way she carried herself that she was a trained fighter. The flower girl picked herself up off the floor with renewed hope.

"I'm sorry I look like such a mess," she apologized, "I just don't know what we're going to do...and the only way to break the spell is to find Vincent's true love."

She rubbed her temples, "All we know is that he met her in the woods."

The other woman's eyes widened. "Did you say the prince's name was Vincent?"

Aerith cocked her head at her, "Yes, why?"

The woman shook her head, "I think I should start from the beginning."

"Aii lassie, you're telling me that Vincent managed to fall in love with his betrothed without realizing it? That would have made things so much easier!" Cait grumbled.

Aerith sat stock still, "I can't believe it," she murmured, "this whole time the answer to our problem was right under our noses; where is the princess? We must wake her up so she can break the curse!"

Tifa sighed, "She not here."

Stunned silence followed her announcement.

"What?" Aerith gasped, "What do you mean she's not here?"

The fighter bit her lip and appeared to be holding back tears, "When her father announced that she was to be wed, she ran off into the forests to say goodbye to Vincent...but then she never came back. So I went to go look for her and-" she choked back a sob, "I saw her being led away in chains by Deepground!"

Aerith grasped her hand trying to comfort her, "What happened after that?" she asked gently.

Tifa took a deep breath and continued her narration, "Well, I followed them to see where they were taking her and saw that it was to a ship. So, I snuck on board to try and gather more information on where they planned on taking her. I managed to find the cabin that they held her in and..." she furrowed her eyebrows, "A woman named.. Lucrecia? Said they were taking her to Nieblhiem in the morning."

"Lucrecia?" Nanaki repeated incredulous, "She's King Grimore's most trusted adviser!"

Cait who was now under Reeve's control, responded levelly, "That does explain how she found out where to find Vincent."

"I can't believe she would do this! She's worked side by side with the king for years! She knew how devastated he was when he had to give up Vincent!" Aerith exclaimed.

Nanaki nodded sadly, "It would seem the adage, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' would be proven accurate in this situation."

The good fairy bit her lip, "You're right, I just thought Lucrecia was better than that. After all, Grimore was always kind to her and he made it clear that he was very much in love with the late queen." Cait/Reeve answered, "Ahh a crime of passion, while this is interesting and everything playing detective, shouldn't we be forming a plan to rescue Yuffie?"

Tifa grinned, "Way ahead of you, the moment I saw Yuffie being dragged off I made some calls."

She checked her phone for the time, "Cloud should be here any minute along with Cid and Barrett."

Nanaki inclined his head, "Who are these people?"

"Well," Tifa started, "They're all friends of ours."

Yuffie kicked halfheartedly at the bounds restraining her. She couldn't put the images Lucrecia had shown her out of her mind. She just had to get out of here! If I don't, she thought in despair, I'll never see Vincent or my dad and friends ever again. With renewed vigor, she yanked against the shackles chaining her to the wall viciously. The chain holding her left arm to the wall gave a bit. Yes! She thought triumphantly, Now I'm getting somewhere. In the distance, she heard the sounds of a struggle, but she tuned it out, intent on freeing herself while she had the chance. Were fiends attacking her enemy's camp? She shrugged off the thought, Serves them right, kidnapping the White Rose of Wutai!

After finally escaping her bonds, she reequipped herself with her shuriken and armor.

She snorted, "Man, that Lucrecia lady is a lousy jailer, first she leaves me alone without a guard, then she leaves all my stuff in the room with me?"

Suddenly she tensed as she heard footstep approaching her cabin door. Maneuvering behind the door she crouched preparing to spring on her wold be intruders. The door burst open and she let her shuriken fly.

"Yuffie!" a familiar feminine voice cried in alarm, followed by a responding clash of metal upon metal and some colorful curses.

She knew those voices anywhere, "Tifa? Barrett?" she asked astounded, "What are you two doing here?"

Barrett stepped through the door followed by her friend and teacher. "Ya brat, we were trying to save ya before you threw that over-sized monstrosity at me!"

He looked at his gun arm, which now had a sizable scratch on it, "Damn, I just polished it this morning too!"

Lucrecia's breath was ragged as she tried her best to flee the camp where what remained her of troops fought the intruders. She'd already warned Hojo that things had gone wrong when she heard the first signs of the attack. Now, knowing that the battle was lost, she tried desperately to flee avoiding detection. Unluckily for her, someone was looking for her.

"Lucrecia!" a voice called angrily.

A figure stepped in front of the woman blocking her path.

She stopped, "Aerith, I didn't expect to see you here."

The brunette's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Did you really think that after helping Hojo find Vincent and kidnapping Yuffie I wouldn't try and find you?"

"Oh Aerith!" the woman said voice raising with each word, "There's no harm done! He's only asleep, and now that you found Yuffie, everything will be fine and-"

"Silence!" the good fairy said casting the spell on her old friend. "No harm done? You were taking Yuffie to Shinra Manor! That place is a horrible dungeon where human experimentation runs rampant! If it wasn't funded and protected by Shinra, every free nation in Gaia would have torn that place down!"

She sighed, "You know Lucrecia, I thought you were better than this. But your anger and evil cannot be helped."

Aerith raised her hands preparing to cast permanent spell. Lucrecia's eyes widened and she tried to run, but to no avail. And that was how she was frozen forever in time, her stone features reflecting only her cowardice upon facing the consequences of her actions.

Meanwhile, in Shinra manor, Hojo had gotten news of Deepground's defeat and he felt when Lucrecia, one of his best servants had been turned to stone.

"No! This cannot be!" he rasped shrilly his dark flames wrapping around him, already preparing to teleport back to Wutai.

"I will not allow the prince or Wutai to awaken! They will sleep for eternity!" Then in a flare of flames he was gone.

In the peace of the sleeping kingdom of Wutai, darkness simmered in the land. Even though it was nearly dawn, storm clouds began forming over the usually clear sky that surrounded the peaceful land. Thick, sharp black vines began growing all around the royal pagoda and the area surrounding it. And in front of the pagoda almost blocking out the sun that did shine through the storm clouds, was Hojo. It was not the sorcerer that most of Gaia knew him as. He was in the form of the demon of legend Omega. Even more fearsome than Chaos, this demon was thought to be imprisoned within the earth. It was said in ancient times, that Omega was a being that was created to help save the planet during Armageddon. With Chaos as his herald he would take what remained of the destroyed world and find a new home for the planet to rest among the stars. This was Hojo's intent after all. He wanted to destroy Gaia and ride through the cosmos like Jenova, the calamity that fell to the planet a long time ago.

Yuffie gasped, "What is that?" she exclaimed as she and her company approached Wutai.

But there would be no time for explanations.

"Oh princess," Hojo seethed, "So glad you could make it, unfortunately, you and your friends won't live to see another day!"

And so the battle had begun. The sound of bullets splitting through the air and the clash of metal upon skin rang through the kingdom. Huge bursts of powerful magic illuminated the sky as it descended upon it's target.

"Damn!" Tifa spat as she rebounded off the beast for the tenth time, "I can't penetrate it's hide!"

Even Cloud with his mighty Buster Sword was unable to leave a mark on the beast's rock-like skin. Yuffie knelt by Aerith, bleeding, and cried out in despair,

"How are we going to defeat this thing?" as the fairy healed her wounds.

"Aerith, look!" Nanaki shouted as he tried to lunge and attack some of the softer parts of Omega's flesh, "There is an opening right at the top of Omega's body! If Yuffie could get a good throw in, it should destroy Omega at it's core!"

She nodded and started an incantation over Yuffie's weapon,

"Oh shuriken of light fly straight and true, bring death to evil as is due!"

The ninja felt the shuriken almost floating as it started glowing in her hands and she stepped back to aim and threw it with all her might. The effect was almost instant. The evil that was Omega vanished before their eyes in great plumes of black. The clouds and vines surrounding Wutai melted away, as the morning light rained down upon them. They had done it. Her friends dropped to the ground in both relief and exhaustion and the Three Good Fairies began to tend to them. Yuffie caught her shuriken and ran up to her partners.

"Is everyone ok?" she asked worried.

Aerith nodded, "Yes, everyone will be fine. Yuffie.." she looked into the princess's eyes, "Go to him," she smiled, "It's day break, I think it's about time everyone woke up don't you?"

**A/N **

**Wow this is the longest chapter I've ever written! What did you guys think of the battle scene? I didn't want to write a whole long passage about them hacking into Omega without much success, so I tried to shorten it without making it seem too abrupt. Did I succeed? Also what did you think about Aerith turning Lucrecia to stone? One of the fairies in _Sleeping Beauty_ did that, but did I pull it off convincingly? I know Aerith doesn't seem like one to hold grudges or be vengeful, so I tried to make it seem like she was sad to do it, yet knew she had to. One more chapter to go and I'm done! I'm thinking of maybe entering this in the Genesis Awards... I don't know, we'll see! After this I think I want to try a _Beauty and the Beast _Yuffentine, since I've seen a few good ones around that weren't finished. Or maybe another fairy tale like Snow White or maybe even Cinderella. I'm not sure...any suggestions? **

**And as always thank you for reading! Review please. =]**


	6. Chapter 5: True Love

On the tallest floor, in the highest room, there rested Prince Vincent of Midgar, awaiting his true love's first kiss. Yuffie rushed up each floor of her father's pagoda in her haste to finally awaken her prince. Unfortunately, even in their slumber the "Five Mighty Gods" tried to defend their floors...with little success. When the first of the half transformed guardians lunged at the princess, she'd had enough. "That's it!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, "I've had it!" as she pushed roughly past the gods. "I've been ganged up on, kidnapped, then had to fight freaking OMEGA, all in one night!" she steamed as she continued up the pagoda's stairs, pushing each sleepy guardian away as she passed,

"I do NOT have the time or energy to deal with any of you! Again! Wasn't it bad enough when I kicked all of your butts the first time I ascended the pagoda?"

She sighed in frustration when she reached the top floor and almost expected to see the monstrousity that her father became when she faced him at sixteen. To her relief, he was still snoozing in the throne room she'd passed, along with the King of Midgar and all his other subjects. Reaching the room she'd seen in Lucrecia's spell, she slid open the door and quietly closed it before she turned to face her love.

His peaceful form rose and fell quietly in the soft bed that his guardians had placed him in. Yuffie approached him slowly and gazed at his sleeping face. It seemed hard to believe that Vincent hadn't just been sleeping normally and would not wake even with the rising sun. She smiled gently at him before she bent down and placed her flushed rosy lips against his pale pink ones. The instant their lips touched, she felt life stir in him once again and pulled back swiftly to watch him awaken. His eyes blinked several times before his vision focused, and the first thing he saw once wakened from his slumber was the smiling face of his betrothed. The smile that he returned to her was as warm as the rising sun that shone brightly through his room's window. She had done it; true love had won.

Lord Godo shook sleepiness from his eyes as he heard the royal announcer blowing his trumpet. He turned to his dear friend King Grimore and apologized,

"I am sorry my friend, that my daughter ran off after the news of her engagement to your son but-" Grimore held up his hand to silence his friend his eyes glowing with joy, "There he is! My son is here!"

Godo sputtered and whipped his head to the stair case that the announcer was introducing a couple from. It was Yuffie! His Yuffie and she held the arm of the man who Grimore had just said was his son! Leviathan be praised! Tears simmered in the old emperor's eyes, his daughter was happy and in love, all that he had hoped for.

"Announcing Prince Vincent and Princess Yuffie." the announcer proclaimed proudly. And all throughout the kingdom, a great cheer rose from its people, for their princess had found her true love and conquered evil's foul curse.

**A/N **

**I am done! Whoo hoo! First completed multi-chaptered story ever! Thank you so much, all of you who have followed this story till the end! I really appreciate it! You've made writing it a joy and pushed me to follow through with my ideas and not drop them when I ran into a dry spell of inspiration. Special thanks to _Azure Sora_ and _XlittlexninjaX24_ some of my first reviewers who were very kind and supportive all along the way. Also I cannot forget to thank my best friend _paopufruit1023_ for all her help in brain storming for ideas on this last chapter! Love you bff and good luck with all your writing as well! And PLEASE, please, please, if you liked this story, review and recommend it to friends and communities on ! It's the only way my story will ever circulate and only by having many people read my work will I continue to grow as a writer. Thanks guys! Peace out!**


	7. Extra Scene: Tifa's Concern

**This is just a little added scene to the story, which explains how Tifa knew about Vincent and escaped being put to sleep. Idk if you guys will like it but I just pictured this in my head and had to write it. Thoughts? Everyone good and in character?**

Tifa looked on at her best-friend helplessly as she bawled on her futon.

"I can't be-believe it." Yuffie wailed distraught.

"I finally find a guy that I want to spend the rest of my life with and I can't! I'm engaged to be wed to a prince!"

She sniffled and sat up, "Well actually, I do have a choice but.."

Fresh tears filled her eyes as she looked at Tifa, "But it means," her voice became a hoarse whisper, "choosing between the lives of my people and country for the one I love."

Tifa wrapped her arms around her friend, who she'd grown to love like a sister, "So, what will you do?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Yuffie's head drooped, "The only thing I can live with doing; marry the prince."

She looked up at Tifa, "I'm a ninja, I know what pain is, and I know that despite the fact that my heart feels it will burst, I won't die. But if I do run off and marry that guy, I know my people and the people of Midgar will die when Shinra attacks them."

Her friend looked at her sadly, "Oh Yuffie," she sighed, "I wish you didn't have to make this choice. You know I'd never hold it against you, even if you did run away for true love."

She nodded, "I know Teef, but I just can't do that to my people."

She wiped her tears away and said resolutely, "I'm a princess and duty to my people and country come first...if this was just a marriage of convenience I would have said no, but the fact is, that without this marriage two kingdoms will fall."

She stood up, "I have to bear it, even if it tears me apart inside, because the suffering of one isn't even comparable to the deaths and suffering of two kingdoms."

Yuffie shrugged, "Who knows, maybe the prince is just as upset about it as me, he doesn't have a choice either."

Sorrow filled the fighter's eyes for her friend, "So Yuffie, tell me about him."

She turned, "The guy I love?"

Tifa nodded, "Yes, what was he like? You'll never be able to see him after tonight and you have an hour before you meet with him, so tell me about him."

Yuffie began, "Well, his name is Vincent.."

Tifa watched as her best-friend ran through the woods from the pagoda to meet her gunman one last time. She leaned against the window sill and sighed, it tore her to pieces to see her friend be pulled away from her true love like that. And she knew it was love, she could see the truth of it radiating from the girl's body as she told her tale of how they'd met. Minutes later she saw a small envoy presumably the prince's party arriving. She frowned a bit, Yuffie'd be a mess when she got back after saying goodbye, coming back alone to see the reason of her distress might have been too much for her. She straightened, she'd follow Yuffie and make sure she made it home alright. After all, the monsters were vicious at night, and if Yuffie wasn't careful she could get hurt coming home. Especially if she was crying after saying farewell to the love of her life. Tifa stood and pulled out her phone, "Cloud," she said once her call went through, "I think I'm going to have to cancel our dinner date tonight, Yuffie needs me."

She nodded after hearing his response,

"Yeah it's bad, I'll tell you about it later, she headed into the woods, so I'm following her to make sure she's alright."

After finishing the call she hung up and started pulling on her leather fighting gloves. Slipping out the window she said,

"Yuffie, I hope everything works out in the end, you deserve a happy ending."

With that she disappeared into the night in hot pursuit of the ninja.

Cloud closed his phone after Tifa hung up and started Fenrir up again. As he continued driving back to Wutai from his previous delivery, a thousand thoughts swirled in his mind, mainly concern for the young ninja. He knew she was Tifa's best-friend and had grown to be like a little sister to them both. She never cried and Tifa never had to cancel on him because she needed to be there for her friend. It had to have been terrible if Yuffie was in such a state. He put on extra speed and hoped he'd get to Wutai within a few hours, he wanted to be there for Yuffie as well. He remembered the first time he'd showed up on the shores of Wutai, battered, bruised and tossed aside after Shinra's scientists were done with him. That was also the first time he'd met Yuffie and the thought made him smile. Along with Tifa, she was the reason her father had allowed him to work for the Royal Court of Wutai, even though there was mistrust toward outsiders, especially if they were associated with Shinra in any way. "Hang on Yuffie," he said, "I'm coming home."


	8. Extra Scene: Training and A Brat

Yuffie huffed tiredly as she dodged another attack from her mentor.

"Don't give up now!"

Tifa chided her, as she threw another punch at the ninja,

"Your endurance could be the only thing that helps you win a fight, you have to want it,"

she finished with a roundhouse kick to the younger woman's stomach, that sent her sprawling to the ground.

"Ughh, but Tifaaa," Yuffie whined, "I'm tired!"

Her teacher shook her head,

"I know you are and so am I, but you have to work through that."

She took off her leather gloves as she said,

"I've seen many good fighters lose, not because they weren't as good, but because someone else had better endurance. They were just as tired, but they wanted it more and so they kept going and that's what gave them their win. Not strength, not speed, not even skill, but endurance."

Yuffie picked herself up off the ground and clutched her stomach where Tifa kicked her, before casting a healing spell on them both.

"So are we done for the day?"

Tifa nodded, "Yeah, I think so. But.." she trailed off, "I think you need to run another mile to build that endurance we've been talking about."

The princess groaned before she started running off to complete her mile,

"Fine sensei, but lunch is on you this time!"

The martial artist laughed, but agreed none the less. Her pupil had lasted five minutes in intense combat with her, that was worth rewarding.

_The saying about endurance that Tifa gave, was actually something one of my swim coaches said to my team at practice before. He was a really nice, younger guy and that saying was really true. Funny how real-life can give you great writing material huh?_

"Aww you fucking brat, get over here!"

The older mechanic ran after the little princess, who currently held his favorite wrench. She stopped abruptly and this caused him to almost fall and crush her. Yuffie was only about three at the time.Turning around, she gazed wide-eyed at the man,

"I'm sworry, Cid," she said, eyes down-cast.

The pilot rubbed his head,

"Geez kid, it's ok, I shouldn't have cursed at you, Shera's always getting on my case about that."

She handed him his wrench back and both continued on their way..until he noticed she'd taken his wallet. He sighed,

"Fuck it," he said as he keep walking back to the hanger,

"She's a great liar and thief at three," he shuddered, "Hate to see her in ten years."

Walking on, he thought of lunch and the tea Shera would make for him; Yuffie's nanny/mentor, Tifa would make her give the wallet back later in the day. No need to worry about it now.

_I don't know where this came from, just seemed like a Yuffie thing to do and seeing a little kid with Cid and his mout__h seemed cute. Maybe I'll add more of these if the mood strikes me, not sure. Oh and I'm not dead! I just have finals coming up and soon my first semester of college will be over! Winter break here I come! December 17__th__ is when I get out of school, so expe__ct lots more to come once that date comes! I will update "An Unlikely Cinderella" for sure and may even start another short (less than 10 chapters) story, or toss out some one-shots. Oh, and awesome news! After taking two required classes for what I though__t would be my major, I have decided that I will now become an English major. So because of this, I may take an Advanced Fiction Writing class next semester! So excited! Wish me luck, the prof. has to let me into the class._


End file.
